MESSAGE for SUNDAY 16 AUGUST
Questions God asked: "What are you doing here?"
1 Kings chapter 19 verses 1-15
We can go through times of great victory, but then for some reason stoop to the lowest of lows. At these times we need to hear God's voice asking us "What are you doing here?"
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 9 AUGUST
Questions God asks: "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?"
Mothers have a knack of knowing the answer even before they have asked the question. Amongst my mother's plethora of sayings was one which would inflict fear – "Be sure your sins will find you out". It was on hearing these words addressed to me, that I knew the answer before she had asked the question.
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 2 AUGUST
Questions God asks: "Why are you crying out to me?"
As we each spend time today offering our prayers, may we also start to realise, maybe the answer is already before or within us, maybe it is time to move forward in faith.
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 19 JULY
Questions God asks: "Where are you?"
"Where are you?" Are you where God wants you to be – spiritually, and physically? Are you where God wants you to be when God wants you to be there? Are you doing what God wants you to be doing when you are where God wants you to be?
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 5 JULY
Carrying our burdens.
Jesus says "Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 28 JUNE
Living in the shelter of the most high.
Psalm 91 is a Psalm which is a source of strength, hope, promise and encouragement to many.
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 21 JUNE
EVERYDAY A FATHER'S DAY
The apostrophe after the "s" in "Fathers' Day" relates to the one celebrated for our human father figures, but I want to dwell on the one where the apostrophe comes before the "s", as in "Father's Day" – a day to celebrate the love and care of God as our Heavenly Father, and this something we should celebrate every day, not just once a year.
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 14 JUNE
EVERYONE MATTERS
Luke chapters 14 verses 15-24 and verses 1-32
All people matter to God. God does not limit his love to those He thinks are worthy of His love. All have the privilege of coming to Jesus. We matter to Him and He wants us to enjoy life in all it’s fullness.
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 7 JUNE
WAITING TO SOAR
Isaiah chapter 40 verses 21-31
God wants us to rely on him, whatever we are doing in life, and as we look to him, he will give us the strength to continue when tempted to give in. There are times when life will be such that we are tempted to "throw in the towel" and to give up, but it is in those times when the Lord wants us to look to him and to trust his promise that when we do, he will renew our strength.
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 31 MAY
PENTECOST PROMISES
Playing a waiting game is not something we all like to do. It seems that during the current situation there are queues everywhere. What about waiting for a promise to be fulfilled? What about the promises which were fulfilled at Pentecost?
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 24 MAY
“JESUS IS KING AND I WILL EXTOL HIM”
Thursday past was Ascension Day and this event took place forty days after the resurrection of Jesus. Over those 40 days, Jesus took time to teach his disciples giving them a fuller understanding about what He had come to accomplish. Then he blessed them and ascended into the heavens until a cloud hid Him from their eyes.
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 17 MAY
“GOD PROMISED – THE RAINBOW”
Genesis 8 verse 20 – chapter 9 verse 17
We see rainbows are everywhere around us now; in windows, on doors and rainbow flags. Rainbows are mentioned in three places in the Bible. What do the rainbows of scripture remind us of?
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 10 MAY
“AND GOD REMEMBERED”
Genesis chapter 8 verses 1 - 17
For us, it is hard enough to think that people have forgotten us. This is a difficult time when families are cut off from each other and perhaps more so for those who have no immediate family to call on. But God remembers us wherever we are and He waits to meet our needs.
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 3 MAY
“THEN THE LORD SHUT THEM IN”
Glimmers of hope are on the horizon, or at least that is what we are being told. As we remind ourselves today of Noah entering the ark, and God closing the door, we are also reminded that in the course of the story, birds were released to provide proof that the floods had receded and that dry land had appeared. Firstly a raven was sent out to test the ground, but it just kept flying around. A dove was then sent and it could not find anywhere to rest, so it returned. On the third occasion, the dove brought back an olive twig – the sign Noah needed. But the greatest and most important sign was when God opened the door to a new world.
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 26 APRIL
"HOPE AGAIN"
Hope is one of the great theological values of our Christian tradition, something that we are meant to practise every day, like faith and love. The apostle Paul in writing to the church in Corinth reminds them that “Now abide these three, faith, hope and love (charity). But the greatest of these is love (charity).” (1 Corinthians 13 verse 13). In our world, people use the hope as something that “might be”, not with any great certainty. But in the minds of the believer, hope is an assurance, a certainty.
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 19 APRIL
"Behind Closed Doors"
The disciples were in hiding, on a self imposed lockdown, some of their experiences mirroring those felt by some today in our 'lockdown'. Those same experiences of fear and anxiety - worrying about what is happening around us and to us, worrying about when it will be safe to go out again and worrying about feelings of isolation and loneliness. But we do not need to hide behind doors that prevent us from experiencing all that Jesus would have us experience - his peace, his love and his joy.
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EASTER SUNDAY MESSAGE
On this Resurrection Sunday, I want us to think about the promises of Easter. Each promise is marked by something empty – an empty cross, empty clothes, and an empty cave. It is the very fact that each of these is empty assures us that God's promises are not.
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A THOUGHT FOR PALM SUNDAY
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This week, I read the story of a little boy who was sick and was not able to attend church with his father on Palm Sunday. church with his mother. His father later returned home, a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked his dad why he had the palm branch and his father told him "when Jesus came into town, everyone waved palm branches to honour him, so we got palm branches today." The little boy looked disappointed and replied, "Typical. The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up!"
This Sunday is Palm Sunday, and sadly, there will be more than that little boy missing out on their palm crosses. On that day there was no social distancing, no isolation. All the pilgrims for the forthcoming Passover feast were on the streets celebrating with one another. The whole city was buzzing.
You can imagine the heightened anticipation of those followers of Jesus. If the scenes which confronted them were right, something big was going to happen. We know that, by the end of the week, it would, but not quite as the followers of Jesus and the psyched up crowds imagined. The pilgrims were there to celebrate freedom from slavery in Egypt, a deliverance orchestrated by God. Through the sacrifice of lambs and retelling the story, the people remembered.
It is into this that Jesus rides, on the back of a donkey. Not the obvious symbol of a great conquering hero, but as one who comes in peace, fulfilling the prophecy outlined in Zechariah chapter 9. I often wonder whether Jesus’ mind was completely at peace on this occasion. The journey to Jerusalem had been in the planning from before the very foundations of the world. The purpose of the journey, Jesus tried to relay to his followers again and again. As he looked at them, I wonder just what his thoughts were. They were caught up in the moment, cheering, singing, dancing, laying clothes on the ground for the donkey to walk over. But, only he knew how those cheers would change to jeers. How the cries and shouts of welcome would turn to those of condemnation. How arms open in welcome would turn to rejection.
Yet still he rode on. Those who remembered what God had done for them in the past, failed to recognise what God was doing before their very eyes, in the present. To a world that was suffering, Jesus arrived, centre stage in history. He came to bring comfort to those who mourned; healing to those who were ill; freedom to those who were oppressed; salvation to all under the condemnation of sin. As the lambs had been sacrificed in the past and would be sacrificed that week in atonement for the sins of the whole world”, rode into Jerusalem to, as it were, “seal the deal” by his own sacrifice on the cross on Golgotha.
This year, churches will be closed – but still Jesus comes. Social isolation means people cannot come out – but still Jesus comes. Social distancing separates people from one another – but still Jesus gathers up in his arms to comfort, to heal, to free from the fears which have held us during this time. To those who give him no thought – still Jesus comes. To those who welcome him – still Jesus comes. May we recall all that God has done in the past in each of our lives and may we remember with thanks, all that he continues to do, even in these uncertain times.
“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord…” – read the story again – Matthew 21 verses 1– 1; or Mark 11 verses 1-11; or Luke 19 verses 28-40; or John 12 verses 12-16.
Hope in the Dark
Message for Sunday 22nd March 2020
MESSAGE for SUNDAY 23 AUGUST
Questions God asked: "Why do you complain, Jacob?"
"Those who wait upon the Lord, will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not be weary, they will walk and not be faint."
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER
Questions God asked: "Is it right for you to be angry?"
Anger is an emotion we all experience at some stage – either as a reaction to something we do not like, or see as a reaction in others.
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Questions God asked: "Is It Time For You Yourselves To Be Living In Your Panelled Houses, While This House Remains A Ruin?"
Haggai chapter 1 verses 1 - 15
Sometimes our reasoning for not completing a particular course of action is more of an excuse than an acceptable reason. Sometimes it is easier to chose the easier tasks to complete and push the more difficult down the list.
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER
MESSAGE for SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER
Questions God asked: "Why do you complain, Jacob?"
This study is taken from the book of the same name by Dale & Sandy Larsen.
Pray that when you feel the Lord isn’t paying attention to your prayers, you will remember that He does hear, He does care, and He is powerful to come to your aid.
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“IMPROPERLY DRESSED”
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 11 OCTOBER
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 18 OCTOBER
BAD TENANTS
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER
“IS THAT YOUR FINAL ANSWER?”
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 25 OCTOBER
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“CHRIST FOR THE WORLD – OUR GLOBAL SAVIOUR”
Our text today is a view of the Kingdom of God from a perspective we cannot see on our own and presents a scene that causes sensory overload - amazing, spectacular, celestial vision of the glory of God and the risen King. The focus is on Jesus as a Saviour of and for the whole world – a global Saviour.
MESSAGE for SUNDAY 1 NOVEMBER
MESSAGE for SUNDAY 8 NOVEMBER
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“THE LORD HAS HELPED US”
1 Samuel chapter 6 verse 19 – chapter 7 verse 12
It is that time of the year when, once again, we are reminded of the sacrifices made by many in the cause of freedom. We are not glorifying war, nor are we justifying involvement in the conflicts of today – but rather we look back and remember with thanks, those who gave, and still give today, without thought for themselves, in the service of freedom for humanity.
MESSAGE for SUNDAY 15 NOVEMBER
“READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!”
There are simply some things that should be obvious without even asking. The return of Jesus Christ is one of those things.
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 22 NOVEMBER
“HE’S MY KING”
Colossians 1 verses 9 – 20
Sometimes we load up other people with our burdens and pains, we pour out all our complaints and troubles, only to discover later on that the person is dealing with their own emotional burden, a burden far heavier than our own.
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“WAITING IN HOPE”
Isaiah 63 verse 15 to chapter 64 verse 11
Today is the first Sunday in Advent. Traditionally, the focus of this day has been upon “Waiting in hope.” As a season in the Christian year, Advent anticipates both the birth of Christ and his long-awaited second coming.
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 29 NOVEMBER
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MESSAGE for SUNDAY 13 DECEMBER
“CHRISTMAS JOY”
Sometimes there are tell tale signs when someone is in a good mood. Perhaps there is a little extra spring in their step. Perhaps they might be singing to themselves, or perhaps that smile on their faces could be just about give that air of happiness.
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